SNS Research's latest datasheet indicates that wireless service providers will spend as much as $415 Million on virtualizing their mobile core, EPC and IMS infrastructure in 2014 alone.

While the benefits of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and network virtualization are well known in the enterprise IT and data center world, both technologies also bring a hosts of benefits to the telecommunications service provider/carrier community.

Not only can SDN and network virtualization help address the explosive capacity demand of mobile traffic, but they can also reduce the CapEx and OpEx burden faced by service providers to handle this demand by diminishing reliance on expensive proprietary hardware platforms.

SDN and network virtualization solutions have been widely deployed in data center and enterprise environments, and many service provider deployments are already underway.

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) is service provider led initiative aimed at virtualizing network components in a service provider network. While NFV is still a developing technology with its first set of specifications published in October 2013, many vendors have already developed commercial-grade solutions that align well with the NFV initiative.

Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that SDN and NFV investments on mobile core, EPC and IMS infrastructure will account for $415 Million in 2014 alone.